Lovely Tonight
by Missalline
Summary: Buffy, Angel, and a secret relationship.
1. Prologue

She wonders what he'll think of her, this broken mockery of the girl he knew. She's not a girl anymore. Being torn out of heaven will do that to a person. It's why she hadn't told him she was back.

She is worried(terrified) that he'll take one look at the creature that crawled out of her grave and realize he doesn't love her anymore.

He'd called ahead and rented a room at the motel right next to the road. Now she's waiting, sitting on the edge of the bed. She hopes she can adequately pretend.

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><p>He had left as soon as it was safe-ish enough for him to drive. The sun wasn't quite down yet, by the just <em>had<em> to get to her. He drove much faster than he should have, too.

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><p>She looked up when he walked in. She had sworn to herself that she was going to be strong, not let seeing him get to her, but she looked at him with that sorrowful, loving look on his face and the dam holding everything in broke. It starts with just a couple of tears, but escalates quickly, and she's sobbing within seconds.<p>

He holds her for the hours it takes for the final tear to fall. He doesn't say anything, just strokes her hair and occasionally kisses her temple.

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><p>Later, still within his arms, she whispers so softly he almost doesn't hear. "I was in heaven"<p>

"I know"


	2. Inside Out

**AN: Hi guys!**

**This is a story that starts (started) with Buffy and Angel's secret meeting in S6/S3, then breaks off from conon. My plan is to just keep writing until I feel like it's done, so I don't know how long it will be. I can get really busy, so it might be a while between updates, but updates will happen. Eventualy.**

**I love all reviews, esp. ones that comment on my writing style, and how I can improve.**

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><p>She'd fallen asleep in his arms. She remembers that much. But she's not entirely sure why they're now in a moving car.<p>

"Angel?" she sleepily asks "What's going on?"

"We're going to Vegas."

"Obviously." She sits there silently, trying to ignore the voice in the back of her head telling her that she's doing something wrong. _It's nice to be alone with him, but I have to get back. They're expecting me._

"I can't just leave, Angel, I have a life to get back to."

"Here," He says as he reaches into his coat pocket and hands her his cell phone. "Call and tell them I need your help on a case."

She takes the phone reluctantly. "Angel… I don't know…"

"You need a break from people who expect you to be what you were before. I intend to give you one."

"Oh. Okay." A ghost of a smile settles on her lips.

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><p>He got them a room at the first hotel she liked. It has one bed and a shower that looks like it could fit them and all of their friends. He drops his stuff in the corner (because he actually knew they would be gone for a while) and sits down on the bed.<p>

"Come sit with me." Buffy walked over and sat down next to Angel. He hesitantly put his arm around her. She felt stiff for a moment, then relaxed into his embrace.

"I still love you, Buffy. You know that, right?"

A pause. "I do."

"Good. Please don't ever doubt that. Now listen to me.

"I do not expect you to be the person you were before you jumped. Nobody should."

"But they all do," Her voice was quivering with threatened tears.

"They're wrong. You have the ability to become someone so much more amazing, but you have things you're going to need to work through first. We're staying here as long as you need to do that."

"Even if it takes years?"

"Even if it takes years."

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><p>Buffy was in turmoil when they left the hotel that night. So many things were running around in her head. She had a… something back in Sunnydale and she couldn't just take off. If nothing else she had to get back for Dawn. She couldn't abandon her again.<p>

And Angel. He'd specifically gotten a room with one bed, but he hadn't kissed her, or said anything about rekindling their relationship, or made any move toward her that could be considered as anything more than just friendly. Only a very good friend friendly, but still. Maybe he just wanted to sleep on the floor. Buffy's thoughts were stopped when Angel pulled the car up next to a run-down building.

"A client told us there's a nest in this building. He wants it cleaned out."

"So I really am here to help you with a case."

"That's the excuse." Angel paused for a moment, not sure how to say the next thing. "Buffy, when you fight you… plan everything. It's like you're thinking twelve steps ahead."

"I have to."

"I know, when you're alone. But I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You can be as… reckless, unthinking as you want to be. I'm here to protect you. You won't get hurt." Angel leaned over and kissed her forehead before jumping out of the car. He walked around to her door and opened it, holding out his hand for her to take. She did, and they walked into the building hand in hand.

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><p>It was close to dawn when Buffy and Angel got back to their room.<p>

"Go shower," Angel said "I'll call down and order you room service."

"I'm not hungry," _I haven't been, not since I came back._

"When was the last time you were?" When Buffy didn't answer Angel knew that his assumption that she hadn't really been eating was right. "You need to eat something, Buffy. Go shower. It'll be here when you get out."

Buffy relaxed in her shower. The hot water fell over her skin washing away the sweat and dirt and blood accumulated from the fight. She had actually _enjoyed_ that fight. Lately slaying had just been a job, something she was required to do. But this fight had been different. She'd just fought. She hadn't planned, hadn't thought. She'd just done what she wanted. So maybe she'd beaten up on a couple of the vamps a little more than she should have before she'd staked them. _Who cares?_ And every time she'd almost gotten hurt Angel had been there staking the vamp or deflecting the thrown rock or pushing her out of the way. It had been wonderful.

Stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel to dry herself off, Buffy could smell the food Angel had ordered for her. She thought about getting back in the shower and waiting until the food got cold, but realized he'd probably make her eat it anyway, and warm food was definitely better than cold food, so Buffy dried off and got dressed.

"What'd ya' get me?" She asked as she walked out of the bathroom.

"Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich."

Buffy gave a short bark of laughter. "Really?" She thought he would get her something more sophisticated, like salmon with lemon sauce, and was surprised with something so… innocent.

"I wanted something you would actually eat." Angel had walked over to Buffy while they had been talking. He now held her shoulders and steered her to sit down on the bed, in front of which he had placed the cart with her food on it. He sat with her while she ate, partly to keep her company, and partly to make sure she did eat. Buffy was silent throughout her meal.

"Are you mad at me?" Angel asked softly. "I know I've been telling you what to do, but I" The look in Buffy's eyes mad Angel stop talking mid-sentence.

"I was just thinking how nice it was for someone to be taking care of me for a change." She turned away from him and covered her mouth with her hand as she started crying. Angel pulled Buffy into his arms and just held her. When she was done he spoke to her softly.

"Go to bed. I'm going to go shower." Angel turned off the light as he walked out of the room, and Buffy crawled under the covers, but she wouldn't let herself fall asleep. Not until she knew where he was sleeping. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief when he came out of the bathroom and got into the bed with her. He pulled the covers over them, wrapped his arms around her, and held her flush with his body. Buffy hadn't felt this loved since she had been back. She'd been wanting to say something since she had first seen him, and this action let her know she could, that it would be accepted, that it wouldn't scare him away.

"I love you." She whispered into the darkened room.

"I know."


	3. Say You Like Me

**Greetings!**

**I hope you guys like this part. It took longer than I was hoping. Musey just wasn't speaking to me. On the bright side I got all of my college applications done!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just take them, play with them, wash them, and return them in the condition in which I got them.**

**Reviews push me one step closer to the next chapter!**

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><p>Buffy and Angel slept the day away. She was the first to wake up. When she did she realized she had a problem, a big problem, a MAJOR problem. The only clothes she had were the ones she was wearing. Buffy's agitated pacing woke Angel up.<p>

"What's wrong, Buffy?"

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? I have no more clothes, Angel." Her voice got softer. "I love that you want to help me, that we took this trip, but I need more than one set of clothes." Her voice got louder again. "If you had actually TOLD me that I wouldn't be home for weeks I could have packed. And it's not just clothes, Angel. It's make-up and hair care products and skin care products and, and- Mr. Gordo!"

Angel knew he had to tread carefully now. One wrong statement could lead to very bad things, things he didn't really want to think about.

"With the exception of Mr. Gordo, I was planning on buying you all new things." Buffy stopped her pacing and turned to him astonished. The look on her face made Angel softly smile. This particular smile was Buffy's favorite. This was the smile that meant, whether he knew it or not (and she was pretty sure he didn't), 'I love you, Buffy'. This was the smile that always had the ability to calm her down.

"Shopping? You want to take me shopping? But you hate shopping." Buffy perched on the edge of the bed. Angel took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her palm.

"But you love it, or you used to anyway, and this trip is about helping you reclaim part of who you were so you can discover who you want to become, and you can do that by doing, or at least trying, things you used love. Shopping is one of those things. Also, I think you'll still love it." Buffy's hand that Angel wasn't holding came up to stroke his face. They shared a tender, loving moment. Buffy's lips felt empty without Angel's pressed against them, but she could tell this wasn't the right time for their first kiss.

"I also really wanted to indulge you." Buffy genuinely smiled at his statement, and Angel's smile grew because of it. '_I love making her happy'_ "Let me get dressed and we'll leave."

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><p>One of the reasons Angel picked Las Vegas was because most places were open 247. It was a city very accommodating to their schedule.

Buffy was surprisingly excited. She had been meaning to get new clothes; nothing really fit her anymore, but just hadn't cared enough to go buy them. And money was so tight she couldn't justify spending some on things she already had. But this was different. _Angel_ was taking her shopping. _Angel_ was spending money. She actually wanted to look good for _Angel._ It only then dawned on Buffy that Angel couldn't afford to be spending money either.

"Angel, I can't accept this. It's so much money, and you can't afford it." Angel just looked at her, quickly, before turning his eyes back to the road. He stopped in front of a restaurant, shut down the car, and turned to look at her.

"Buffy, I'm more than 250 years old, and a very wise investor. I can afford it." His brow crinkled "Didn't you ever wonder where I got my money?"

"I guess I never really thought about it."

Angel smiled "You don't have to worry, Buffy. If I can afford to give Cordelia a raise every time she asks for one I can afford to spoil the woman I love."

"Well in that case I say we skip right to the clothes, because this whole food thing is really overrated." Angel's response was to get out of the car, walk around, and open Buffy's door.

"You're really going to make me eat?"

"I'm really going to make you eat."

"Can I at least order this time?"

"Anything you want."

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><p>Buffy had enjoyed her meal. The food <em>was<em> really good, and with Angel there to distract her she was able to eat much more than she thought she could. It was so nice to be able to talk to someone and be completely honest, except for one of the bigger issues. She couldn't tell him how much she wanted him back. She was too afraid of what his response would be.

He told her he loved her. He held her while she cried, while she slept. He sat with her while she ate to make sure she did. He'd watched the end of a silly reality T.V. show with her after she had gotten engrossed and couldn't leave until it was over. He played every part the devoted lover, except he had never said he was. Buffy had almost convinced herself that when she had accomplished whatever he thought she needed to he would leave again, but she desperately didn't want to believe that, so she wouldn't let herself.

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><p>"I'm feeling guilty," Buffy said later as they sat in the mall's parking garage. "I know you said I didn't need to worry about money, but I didn't need an entire new <em>wardrobe.<em>"

"I _wanted_ to buy you an entire new wardrobe." Angel said with a smile. '_She's so pretty when she's happy.'_

"I'm begging to think that this trip is really just to satisfy you." Angel pulled out of the parking garage, but didn't turn in the direction of their hotel. Buffy thought about asking where they we going, but figured it would be somewhere else that would make her happy, so she stayed quiet.

Which lead to some confusion when he pulled up next to a rundown building.

"Go. Fight. Be reckless and stupid. I'll stand on the side to keep you from getting hurt." Angel's hand had rested on Buffy's cheek while he spoke, and now her hand mirrored his actions. Buffy leaned forward to kiss Angel, but instead of the lips she remembered so well, she encountered the smooth skin of his cheek.

"Come on, Buffy. We need to go in now to be able to get back to the hotel before sunrise." They got out of the car. Angel grabbed Buffy's hand and pulled her close to him before she could storm away.

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><p>Buffy had come to the conclusion that she loved being able to fight without having to care about protecting herself. She felt so <em>free<em>. And because she didn't have to think about her next five moves all the time her thoughts had drifted to other things.

Her foremost thought had been about her anger toward Angel. She was mad because he wouldn't kiss her. She was mad because he wouldn't talk about what _they_ were doing. She was mad he'd left her.

She was mad he'd turned back the Day. In heaven she hadn't just gotten those memories back, she had _relived_ those moments. And now she couldn't anymore. Which lead her to start thinking about her anger toward Willow, which she really didn't want to think about, so she focused on kick-hit-stake, kick-hit-stake. She'd actually managed to work off some of her aggression. Now she just needed to talk to him.

She hadn't worked up the nerve after the fight. Or on the ride back. Or on the way up to the room. Or in the room. Or before she went to shower. Or after her shower. Or while she was eating. And now he was going to shower and she _needed_ to talk to him.

"Angel?" He stopped and looked at her. He seemed nervous, like he knew what was coming. Buffy wasn't sure how to begin, so she just blurted the first thing that popped into her mind. "You won't kiss me. You hold me but you won't do anything else and you won't talk about why you're holding me, and the Angel I knew doesn't hold a girl without explaining why," she had become more and more agitated and her voice began trembling with unshed tears "and I just don't understand and I need to I _really_ need to because my body isn't the body that I had because when I came back every wound and scar and injury I've ever had was healed," She hadn't meant to tell him that, but she was venting and couldn't stop. "And I need to know what the hell you're doing because there are things that are yours and should only be yours and I don't even know if you still want me and-"

"I always want you." A long moment passed before Buffy spoke again. When she did it was in a quiet and confused voice.

"Then what's going on?" Angel paused to think before he spoke.

"I have a plan, Buffy. I just need you to trust me." Buffy was silent for a long time, so Angel turned and went to shower.

Buffy sat there on the bed. Trust him. Did she? _'Of course I do.'_

Buffy looked up when he came out of the bathroom some minutes later.

"I do trust you." He saw the truth in her eyes and walked over to her, placing his lips on her forehead. He pulled her into bed and held her close, then coverd them with the blankets. He whispered softly in her ear.

"I know."


	4. Hold You Tight

Buffy and Angel's schedule quickly took on a pattern: sleep while it was light, leave the hotel, stop at a restaurant for Buffy, stop at the butchers for Angel (a different one each day), do something Buffy would consider fun (shopping, seeing a show, other things Angel generally cringed at), reckless fights the rest of the night, then return to the hotel before Angel got crispy, shower, eat, repeat. They talked every day, too, but it was much more irregular. Angel had to be ready to help Buffy work through something at every moment because neither of them could know when she would feel the need.

They could both tell the talking was helping. She would tell him almost everything, how mad at Willow she was for suggesting it, at everyone else for helping, how she was terrified that she wouldn't be able to take care of Dawn, how she didn't have enough money for _anything._ Angel always knew exactly what to say.

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><p>On their fifth day in town Angel initiated the conversation. They had just gone to bed, and the plan had been to sleep, but Angel needed to talk to her, and, as bad as he felt about it, he was hoping to catch her with her guard down.<p>

"Buffy," he spoke softly onto the top of her head, "I know it may be hard for you to talk about that you may not want to, but the other day, what you said about your body not being the one you had, what did you mean?" Buffy was silent. Angel waited so long for her to speak that by the time she did he had accepted she wasn't going to.

"It was the spell Willow used to bring me back. The way it works is that it creates a new body around the remains of the old one to whatever age the old body had been. I'm not wearing my body restored; I'm not wearing an exact copy. I'm wearing a completely new one." Buffy tilted her head to look at Angel, and saw confusion written on his face. She sighed, reached over to turn on the bedside light, threw the covers off them, and sat up in bed.

"My dad taught me how to ride a bike when I was five," she said, lightly stroking a small spot on her knee. "One time I fell and an errant stick stabbed my knee. I needed two stiches." She tapped the spot she had been previously stroking. "The scar isn't there anymore; that injury didn't happen to _this_ body, it happened to the one I had before."

Angel circles his arm around Buffy's back and pulled her to his side before asking very softly "Are there any other scars you wish you still had?"

"I had this one on my neck that I got saving the man I love. Really wish I could've kept that. Also there was this thing that happened on my 17th birthday. It was technically an injury, though it's not supposed to heal." While she had been talking Angel had maneuvered them so that they were lying down again. He pondered the information she had just given him and said the only thing he knew he could.

"I love you, Buffy."

"I love you, too."

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><p>Hours later Buffy awoke to the strangest sound, a soft panting coming from above her head. Her next thought was that the pillow beneath her head felt damp. Her next thought was that Angel was crying.<p>

_Angel_ was _crying._

"It's alright Angel. I'm here." He just held her tighter.

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><p>A week and a half after their arrival Buffy brought up the one thing Angel didn't want to hear about. They had just woken up and Angel had been talking about things she might want to do that night.<p>

"I have to go back." Buffy had called home every day, and the last few days Dawn had refused to talk to her. She didn't want to hurt her sister more.

"Give me another week, Buffy. Just another week."

"Angel…"

"Please, Buffy. I have a plan. Trust me."

Buffy smile at him, one of the only really sincere ones he'd seen. "I do."

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><p>Angel had six days left and he was getting worried. He had a plan; a good plan, a plan that would make both of them happy. A plan that may not come to fruition if she couldn't accept something that he already knew.<p>

So he started egging her to fight more and to fight harder. Instead of four or five vamps a night, he'd push her to keep fighting until she practically collapsed against him in exhaustion.

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><p>Angel has three days left and his desired outcome was incredibly close. He just needed to give her one last push. One last dangerous push that he really didn't want to do, but knew he had to.<p>

It was her fourteenth fight that night. She was falling asleep on her feet. But she was the Slayer and she was very good, so she shouldn't have missed when she kicked out, and she shouldn't have let the vamp pin her against the wall. And she was Buffy, so she shouldn't have given in.

But she did. She closed her eyes, and she slumped against the hold, and she tilted her head just the slightest bit. And then she was falling and being caught by strong arms as the dust settled around them. So she hit him, and burst into tears. Then she hit him again.

"You ass!" *smack* "You shouldn't have stopped him!" *punch* "Why the" sob "hell did you?" sob. Angel grabbed her arms and held her still.

"Why, Buffy?"

"Stop it!"

"Why shouldn't I have stopped him?"

"No I-I didn't m-mean-"

"Tell me, Buffy!"

She pulled away from him and yelled with all the force she still had "Because I want to go back!" She clamped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with terror as what she just said registered. "I want to go back." She whisper, horrified. "I want to go back." Her sobs became gasping and uncontrollable. "I w-want to g-o back, Angel. I want to go back." She leaned her head against Angel's chest and he wrapped her in his arms, holding her as tightly as he could.

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><p>They didn't make it back to the hotel that day. Buffy had cried until the city was bathed in sun. She spent the rest of the day alternating between sobbing uncontrollably and being completely numb. Angel carried her out to the car when it got dark out and drove back to the hotel. He carried her all the way to their room, where he set her on the bed. She curled up on her side and he sat in the chair she was facing. After a moment he reached over and began to stroke her hair. Angel's heart was breaking again for the girl in front of him. He had known that this would be hard on both of them, but the reality of it was a thousand times worse than he had ever imagined.<p>

"What's wrong with me?"

"You've been through a traumatic experience and you haven't had anyone to support you. You've had to pretend that everything was fine. Everything you're feeling is perfectly _right_, is perfectly _normal_ for your situation."

Buffy gave him a week, sad smile. "I'm not normal, Angel."

"Normal's a subjective term." Long moments passed in silence. "I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to think about it before you answer. Do you really want to die?"

Buffy looked him straight in the eye. He could see the thoughts churning in her mind. Slowly she began to shake her head. "I just want to go back. I loved it there."

When Angel spoke again his voice was heavy with the remembrance of old words.

"Tell me about heaven Buffy."

("_Tell me about hell Angel"_

_ "It was a place where you weren't.")_

"It was a place where you were.

And you were mine. And we were happy."

"Sounds wonderful." Something flashed across Angel's face. '_Hurt'_, Buffy thought _'And hope.'_

Angel seemed to be shaking it off as he stood up. "I'm going to go downstairs and get you some food."

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat anyway." Buffy could see that Angel was determined to leave, so she said the only thing that she knew would make him stay.

"It was a place where we kissed on a pier in the sunlight." Angel froze with his hand on the door handle. "It was a place where we made love on your kitchen table. It was a place where I licked ice cream off your chest. It was a place where I got to relive those moments, and all the ones around them, over and over again." Angel's breathing had turned ragged and Buffy could tell he was trying not to cry. She got up, walked over to him, and slid her arms around his waist while resting her head on his back.

"I'm so sorry Buffy." His voice was filled with despair and regret.

"It's okay Angel. I understand why you did it. I'm not happy about it, but I'm not mad anymore." Angel turned in her arms and enclosed her in his. He bent his head so that his forehead was touching hers.

"I love you Buffy." She tilted her head to kiss him and he turned his head so that her lips once again brushed his cheek. "Not yet Buffy; I have a plan. It's a good plan, the outcome of which I know you'll like."

"Fine," She sounded annoyed, but a tiny bit playful. "So when exactly will this plan be put into action?"

"It already has." Buffy gave him a quizzical look. "The first part of the plan was helping you to accept that you wanted to go back. The second part is giving you a reason you'd rather stay here."

"So when will the second part start?"

He smiled at her and spoke with a slightly teasing tone "Tomorrow."

"So we should probably go to sleep then."

"Probably."

Later after showering and crawling into bed Buffy spoke.

"I'm so glad I have you."

"I know."


	5. The Fear You Won't Fall

**Sometimes I make myself really happy. This chapter is one of those times.**

**A lot of work went into this chapter. I hope you guys like it.**

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><p>When Angel woke up Buffy was sitting crossed-leg on the bed, staring at him expectantly.<p>

"Well?" Her playful countenance brought a wide smile to Angel's lips. She was _happy_. The air around her appeared lighter, light a terrible burden had been lifted. Which, of course, had been the whole point of step one.

"Be patient Buffy."

"I don't wanna'. You said I was getting a surprise."

"You are, but I have calls I need to make first. So go shower and let me make them."

"'K." Buffy practically bounced off the bed and into the bathroom.

Angel laughed as she left the room.

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><p>Buffy made sure to take a <em>very<em> long shower so that Angel had _extra_ time to make his calls. She wouldn't want him to have to wait any longer to give her her surprise.

Angel wasn't there when Buffy went back into the room, but her meal was. She had been eating for a few minutes when Angel came back.

"Did you leave me any hot water?"

"You should be fine. If you shower fast enough."

"I'll try." He bent down and kissed her on her forehead before going to shower and Buffy continued her meal. It was the first time he hadn't watched her while she ate.

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><p>"Where are we going?"<p>

"You'll see." A pause.

"Are we almost there?"

"Almost."

"Vegas can be so pretty, with all the sparkly lights. Is where we're going a sparkly place?"

"Depends on your definition of 'sparkly'."

"You're really not going to tell me?" Buffy sounded almost unbelieving.

"I don't need to. We're there." Buffy looked at the nondescript building next to them and was highly confused, until she saw the sign. Then she was even more confused.

"A modiste?" Buffy turned her face to Angel hoping for an explanation.

"A maker of designer women's fashions. You're going to go in there and look at what I've been told are hundreds of unique dresses, one of which I would like you to pick. They'll pluck it off the model or mannequin, put it on you, and alter it so that it fits you perfectly."

"I get a custom made dress?"

"You do." He smiled at the excited and happy look in her eyes. "And then," he said, draping his arm over her shoulders, "they're going to show you a large number of pieces of jewelry. I want you to pick something that matches the dress. Do you think you can do that?"

Buffy laughed loudly then said very seriously "Yes Angel, I think I can do that."

"Okay. I'll pick you up in a few hours."

"You're not going in with me?" They had been in the same place the entire trip. Being without him made her nervous.

"I have a couple more errands to run." Angel could see that Buffy was about to object, so he tried to calm her. "Buffy, these are errands you _want_ me to run. If you finish and I'm not back, or if you're just worried, you can call me."

"Fine. But I'm not happy about it."

"Have fun Buffy."

She looked at him sidelong for a moment before giving a small, resigned sigh. "Okay." Buffy smiled slightly and got out of the car.

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><p>Angel hadn't been exaggerating. There were literally <em>hundreds<em> of dresses in this building. Buffy was daunted. There was no way she'd be able to pick just one in a few _days_, let alone a few hours. The sales attendant chuckled when she saw the look on Buffy's face.

"Don't worry, dear. We'll take a few measurements and our stylists will pull out suitable choices. You'll be picking from a much smaller selection."

"Oh." Buffy laughed shakily, "Good." She was whisked into a private room where the stylists discussed her color, then left in search of the dresses they thought would suit her. Each one came back in shortly with a small rack of their chosen garments. Buffy looked through them and pulled out the ones she liked. She didn't really notice that all of the dresses she was presented with were mostly white with colored embroidery.

The last stylist to come back carried only a single garment bag. "We don't normally bring these out," he said, "Most women who shop here don't care about the beauty of the dress or the work that went into it, they only care about the price tag. This line is a work of art, and we can't let just anyone have them." He motioned for Buffy to unzip the garment bag, and she did.

She was struck with the beauty of the dress she was looking at. It had a bodice that laced up the back and cap sleeves that would fall just over the shoulder. The knee length skirt was cut in an A-line. There was embroidery along the bottom hem of vines and phoenixes and other birds that tapered up one side to reach the bodice.

"It's made from the finest pure-white silk. The embroidery is the same silk dyed into various shades of blue. The blue ribbon that laces the back is made from the same silk as well. If you look closely you can see that the embroidery has embellishments of small sapphires and pearls."

"Can I put it on?" Buffy asked tentatively.

"Of course." Buffy went behind a screen in the corner with the female sales attendant. They carefully got Buffy into the dress, and the attendant tightened and tied the lace up the back. Buffy walked from behind the screen and stepped onto the small platform in the middle of the room.

"You look lovely," the attendant commented.

"It's a little loose in the shoulders and the neckline sags a bit, but that can be altered," one of the stylists said.

Another had been walking around her pinching the fabric in a few places. "The waist should be taken in a little, too." She looked up and addressed Buffy, "It looks fine, but taking it in will make you more comfortable."

"What do you think?" That had come from the stylist who had brought the dress in. He had been standing in the corner just watching the scene in the room.

"I love it. It-it's _exquisite._"

"You make it look exquisite, dear."

"Thank you." Her words had been heartfelt, thanking him for the compliment and for bringing her the perfect dress.

A seamstress came forward to pin the alterations that needed to be made. The dress was carefully stripped off Buffy, who was draped in a robe and sent to the attached spa (Angel hadn't even _mentioned_ a spa) to have her nails done. When her nails were dry she went back to the seamstress to have the dress fitted again, then she was sent back to the spa to have her hair done. Her hair was done up in soft curls, some piled atop her head in a messy bun while other fell to frame her face and tickle her shoulders. Once back in the dress the seamstress decided there was one more change that needed to be made, and Buffy sat for the few minutes it took.

"Now, normally I hate to rush my work, but I understand that you and the young man are in a hurry. You're a very lucky girl, you know." The seamstress said as she helped Buffy into the dress for the final time.

"I have no idea what he's doing." The woman behind her laughed while she finished tying the laces. Buffy was hustled into yet _another_ room, this one containing the jewelry Angel had promised. Necklaces and earrings that matched her dress were brought forward, and Buffy selected an elegant set made of loops and swirls and leaves in silver with sapphires studding them in the perfect places.

A long coat that matched the deepest blue on her dress was produced, and Buffy was ushered outside to a waiting Angel. They both thanked everyone profusely, (something Buffy felt like she had been doing all night) as Angel handed her into the car.

* * *

><p>"I <em>loved<em> it. Thank you, Angel. The whole think was wonderful." They were leaving Vegas. Buffy had discovered when she got back into the car that Angel had packed all of their belongings and checked them out of the hotel. She had also noticed that Angel was just as dressed-up as she was, but in a very Angel way.

"I'm glad you like it." He smiled at her, one of those smile that always made her go all melty inside.

"I really did." The time passed in comfortable silence before Buffy spoke again, this time with a completely different tone. "Now, most girls would think that jewelry, a spa trip, and what I'm assuming is a ridiculously expensive dress would be the surprise, but I know you, and you know me. You're frugal; you don't like to spend money unnecessarily. And while I greatly appreciate the aforementioned things, I know that you know that they wouldn't give me a reason to want to stay here, so I'm pretty sure there's something else. Is there something else Angel?"

Angel thought for a long time before responding slowly. "I love you Buffy. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. I'm going to ask you something latter, but there are a lot of things you need to know first. I've made a lot of mistake in the past couple of years." He told her about losing himself, his quest to destroy Wolfram & Hart, the things he'd done because of it. Firing his friends. Darla. Buffy listened to all of it silently and was so focused on him that she hardly noticed when they pulled up to a quaint little building. When Angel finished they sat in utter stillness for nearly half an hour while Buffy digested what Angel had told her. When he couldn't take it any longer he asked her something he had been dreading asking, but still needed to know.

"Do you still love me?" His voice was so small and dejected that Buffy felt her heart breaking. She reached out to stroke his cheek.

"Of course I still love you. I'm not… happy, about some of the things you've done, but you were broken. I understand that. If you hadn't helped me, I don't know what I'd've been willing to do." They shared a smile that reassured both of them.

"Would you like to know something else?" Angel asked, his tone implying that she would like to know whatever it was, but she decided to tease him.

"I don't know" she said in a dryly "Do I?"

"Yes Buffy, you do." He turned to face the building in front of them. "That's a church, Buffy."

"So?"

"I know the priest here. After I moved to L.A. I helped him with a problem and he realized I'm not an evil fiend bent on killing everyone. He agreed to do me a favor."

Buffy's face had grown serious as an idea formed in her head. "What kind of favor Angel?"

"After I found out you died I, I couldn't deal. I went to monasteries in Sri Lanka. One of them was devoted to helping people be strong. One of the monks pulled me aside one day and spoke to me privately. I didn't want to hear what he had to say. It was wonderful, but I was mad at whoever controls such things to have given me the tool when you were gone.

"Angel." Her tone was much more forceful.

"I'm stronger than him Buffy. The demon." He turned to her with a searching smile "Do you understand what that means?"

"We can make love." The happiness in her voice was only out done by the happiness in his when he confirmed her statement.

"We can make love." He intertwined his fingers with hers. "I'm going to ask you a very important question, okay?" Buffy eagerly nodded her head. She believed she had guessed the question he was about to ask.

"Marry me."

* * *

><p>Words are an amazing thing. Even one word can have an immense amount of power. 'Fire', for example, could take out an entire city. In most cases the power of words will belong to one person. There are, however, those rare occasions when for something to work the power must be split between two people. Amazing things can come of these times.<p>

* * *

><p>"Yes."<p>

* * *

><p>It was a simple church. Simple, but beautiful. Angel thought it paled in comparison to the woman next to him. Secretly the priest did, too. Angel had borrowed one of Cordelia's bracelets for Buffy to wear to complete the old saying, old, new, borrowed, blue. The organist was their witness. They both said 'I do' with awe in their emotion choked voices.<p>

When the priest told them they may kiss Angel bent his head and pressed his lips to Buff's for the first time.

* * *

><p>The drive to the new, smaller, not-in-Vegas hotel had been filled with heated caresses and whispered promises of things to come. When they finally got to their room they shared a deep, searing kiss. They made love slowly and sweetly until they were both so tired they collapsed against each other, boneless. As they lay there entwined together Buffy looked Angel in the eye and spoke.<p>

"I've been trying to think of something to say, some way to tell you but I, I just, I don't know how." Angel kissed her as deeply as he could.

"I know."

* * *

><p><strong>There, wasn't that romantic? I teared up a buit when I went through and edited it. And I'm sure that was only partly because I happened th sneeze while I was doing it.<strong>

**Please guys, review. Or feel free to PM me. I'd really like to know what you think. :)**


	6. Good Morning Moon

**Look! A chapter! I know, I'm surprised, too.**

**So here's the thing, I am insanely busy through the end of February, so I may not update until March. Please just wait for it. Another chaper will happen.**

* * *

><p>Angel made sure to wake up before Buffy. He knew that he often shifted in his sleep and he couldn't risk her waking up not in his arms.<p>

She was so beautiful while she slept. The curtains had been carefully closed, but they were made out of a light material which allowed the room to be warmed with the muted morning light. Where it contacted her skin Buffy seemed to glow. The stress of her waking life fell away while she dreamed and her entire body looked relaxed and peaceful.

Of course that could have had something to do with last night. They'd undressed each other slowly, taking time to explore the body of the person they'd been denied for so long. Angel had taken every opportunity to kiss and caress his wife, and Buffy had taken every opportunity to kiss and caress her husband. They had made love until they were too tired to move, then lay motionless together, with Buffy's head resting on Angel's chest, to let sleep claim them.

* * *

><p>Buffy woke slowly as her cloudy mind tried to focus itself. The task was just under halfway done when the events of the previous night began to replay. These images shocked her reality into sharp relief and her body tensed ready to spring from the bed. Luckily, she became aware of Angel's strong arms still encircling her and relaxed into his hold. She tightened her grip on his arms as a small sob shook her body.<p>

"Buffy, leannan, what's wrong?" Angel's voice was thick with worry, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Buffy had to take a series of ragged breaths before she was composed enough to reply, "You're still here." The raw relief in her statement told Angel all he needed; he had done something completely _right_. Angel shifted Buffy so that she was facing him and used his fingers to tilt her head up so he could look at her. There were tear tracks running down her cheeks and water clinging to her eyelashes, but she was giving him a brilliant smile.

"Are you feeling better?"

Buffy took a moment to answer so she could process the reality that had just sunk in. _'Angel and I got _married_! I'm his wife! He's my husband, and I'm his wife._ "I'm happy." Her simple response gave Angel so much joy.

"I'm glad to hear that." They kissed, simply and sweetly, then lay together, just basking in each other's presence, for nearly half an hour before Angel spoke again, "What would you like to do today?"

Buffy raised herself onto her forearms so she could look at him better, an action that provided Angel with a view he greatly appreciated. "I want," She said slowly, "to stay in bed aaaaaaalllll day."

"You're still tired?" Angel asked teasingly.

"Not tired." She bent forward to kiss him, "I just" *kiss* "want" *kiss* "to stay" *kiss* "in bed." *kiss*

Angel's lips curved into a smile against Buffy's lips. "That can be arranged." He quickly slipped his arm around Buffy and flipped her in the bed.

* * *

><p>Buffy was staring at her ring. Her <em>wedding<em> ring. Angel had done a very good job. It was gorgeous, a square cut white diamond flanked by two dark blue diamonds and set in a simple silver band. Her favorite feature of the band, however, was the inside engraving. When Buffy had seen it, it brought tears to her eyes. Angel had had a claddagh engraved on the inside of the band.

He'd told her what the claddagh meant last night. He told her he knew he shouldn't have done it without her knowledge and consent, but he knew where there relationship was headed. He had to give her some kind of marriage before they made love. She was so good and pure and innocent, it was an honor she deserved. He wanted to ask, but he knew he was undeserving, and he was terrified she'd say no. And he had needed a birthday present with meaning.

The whole time he was talking Buffy could tell that he was asking for forgiveness, so she kissed him and told him it was alright.

Which lead to other things, which in turn lead to more things, which lead to very interesting things. Which, at some point in the night (she wasn't entirely sure when), had lead to the scar freshly placed on her neck.

'_He made me his again.'_

* * *

><p>The sun had just set and Angel had gone out to get food, leaving Buffy to rest herself. When he came back in she was soundly asleep. He bent down and gently woke her with a kiss.<p>

"I love you." Buffy said, now fully awake. She smiled and traced his face gently with her fingers.

"So you've said. Many times." Angel sat down next to her and tried to direct Buffy to her meal. She just climbed onto his lap and began to kiss him again.

"You're food is getting cold." Angel mumbled after they broke their kiss for a second time. A mischievous smile formed on Buffy's lips.

"Feed me." Angel laughed and eagerly complied. He tried to at least. Buffy was much more interested in kissing him. By the time she'd taken the last bite is was cold.

* * *

><p>"Do you have a plan for now?" Buffy was brushing out her hair that was wet from the shower she had shared with Angel, the shower that had taken <em>much<em> longer than it should have.

"No Buffy, I don't." Angel walked over to her took the brush from Buffy and, stepping around her, began to wield it himself.

"Really? Mr. Prepared doesn't have a plan?"

"Since I found out you were back I have been entirely focused on making you my wife. That took president over everything else."

"So I guess we kinda' need to have a serious discussion then."

"I guess we do." Angel placed the brush on the counter before settling next to Buffy on the bench.

"I can't leave Sunndale Angel." Buffy's delivery was soft, sad, and firm.

"I can't leave L.A." Angel was equally low-spirited.

"So where does that leave us?" Buffy looked at him with unshed tears glimmering in her eyes. "How will it be any different from before?" Her pitch had risen and her voice broke on the last word.

Angel quickly gathered Buffy into his arms. "Shhh," he whispered, stroking her hair, "It'll be okay Buffy. We'll figure it out."

"I don't want to lose you again."

"You won't," he took her left hand and lifted it to kiss her ring, "I am now and will always be yours. That's what this means. We belong to each other. Always." Buffy took a few hiccupping breathes and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Okay then, now that Buffy's little break don is out of the way," she laughed weakly and he smiled slightly, then kissed her. Buffy broke the kiss short to speak. "We really need to talk about our lives, Angel. Married couples have to discuss these things."

"Okay. Here's what I purpose. We live separately, we call each other every day, and one of us goes to see the other every weekend. Does that work for you?"

"No, I'd rather see you every day but, I guess it'll have to do.

Angel entwined his fingers with hers. "I don't like it either, but I can't think of anything else."

"We'll make it work. We have to. And we'll get used to it, it's not perfect but—OH, oh, no. I can't tell them! Angel, I can't tell them! Nobody will understand. And you can't tell either! What if Giles had to talk to Wesley and-"

Angel bent and kissed Buffy, silencing her stream of words. "Cordy knows," he spoke against her lips "but if you don't want to tell the others yet we won't."

"Okay." Buffy nodded her head. "Okay. Good. Why does Cordy know?"

"I needed someone to help me plan. I wanted it to be perfect."

"It was."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you got everything?" Angel said as he put the last of Buffy's bags in his car.<p>

"Yes. I triple checked. Would you stop worrying?"

"I just don't want you to forget anything." Angel let the trunk fall closed and went to open his door.

"Um, Angel? Don't you need to check out and turn in the room key?" Angel looked up at her slightly shocked. Then he smiled and began to laugh.

"This isn't a hotel Buffy."

"It's not?" Buffy was very confused.

"No. I own it."

"Own it? But, you talked to someone when we came in…"

"The housekeeper. I gave her two days paid leave. I wanted us to be alone."

"Oh." Buffy studied the building next to them. Looking at it she realized it was really too small to be a hotel. Maybe a bed and breakfast, but out in the middle of nowhere? It _was_ beautiful. There was a small lake next to the house, both of which were shaded on one side by an apple orchard. Suddenly Buffy perked up.

"So, we're married, which means, legally, this is mine too, right?" Angel settled on the hood of his car, his eyes resting on the ground in front of his feet. It took him more than a few minutes to speak.

"It's always been yours." Buffy started to speak, but Angel silenced her "Please let me finish." She nodded and he continued. "We're not that far from Sunnydale, less than a two hour drive." He paused for a moment, "After you… died, the first time, you didn't have any time to process it. You were whisked away, barely left alone. And when you came back… I could tell you needed somewhere to run to but didn't have one. So," he gestured toward the house. "I was going to drive you up here after your birthday, call it an extra present."

"Why didn't you? I mean after… hell?"

"We weren't together, and then I knew I had to leave. I was a danger to you and everything you held dear. I was a danger to the world. The only reason I stayed as long as I did was because I needed your help to regain my sanity." Angel glanced up at Buffy. She was facing away from him and her body was tense. Gently, he slipped his arm around her back. "I'm not going to leave you again. Ever."

"I know. It's just really hard to think about then." Buffy rested her head against Angel's chest and gripped his shirt in her hands. His other arm came up and held her head close.

"We don't have much time before sunup."

"Yeah. We need to go."

* * *

><p>The ride to Sunnydale was spent in sad yet comfortable silence. Neither Buffy nor Angel wanted to be separated but, now that they were back together, it was going to take some time to figure out how to actually <em>be together<em>.

After some debate Angel had decided to go to the mansion. Buffy could go spend the day with her friends and Dawn, than come back that night and see him before he left. Buffy had other plans. _'But Angel, we haaave to christen _our_ bedroom…'_ She ended up leaving hours later.

* * *

><p>The front door creaked as Buffy opened it. "Hello?" she called out "Anybody home?"<p>

"Buffy!" Willow yelled as she ran down the stairs. "You're home!" Her mood suddenly shifted from excited to concerned and inquisitive. "How was it? Are you okay? Did Angel upset you because if he did I'll turn him into a toad or something."

"There will be no toadige required, but thank you for offering. And it was… intense."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not yet. I need some time to process everything."

"Oh. Okay." _'Oh she she's hiding something'_ Willow thought, but decided not to push it yet.

Buffy glanced around, taking a few steps into the living room. "Is Dawn still home?"

"Yeah. Xander's coming to pick her up and drive her to school. But, Buffy, I don't know if you want to talk to her right now. She's really upset with you."

"That's exactly why I need to talk to her. She in her room?" Willow nodded and Buffy went upstairs to talk to Dawn.

* * *

><p>Dawn was resting on her bed with her door open. She had no desire to talk to her older sister. The older sister who had just gotten back from hell and then abandoned her. There was a soft knock on her door frame and a timid voice asking from said location "Dawnie?"<p>

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you." Buffy stepped into Dawn's room and shut the door behind her.

"You're mad at me." Dawn didn't respond. "What we were doing was really important, and Angel wouldn't have been able to do it without me." Dawn still didn't respond. Buffy decided she really only had one thing left to try. "Can you keep a secret?" Dawn didn't say anything, but her body language let Buffy know she was interested. "It's a very big secret and you can't tell anyone. Do you promise?" Buffy was hesitant to tell her sister, but she needed to win back her trust.

"Yes, I promise." Dawn did not want to do any such thing, but she loved knowing things others didn't. "What is it?"

Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke very softly. "Angel and I got married."

Dawn sat bolt upright.

"Oh my God." She laughed. "I mean, oh my God. This is good right?"

"Yes Dawn, this is very good." The joy radiating off Buffy was so intense that Dawn had no doubt that Buffy had made the right decision. Dawn flung herself across her bed and wrapped her older sister in a hug.

"I am so happy for you! This is amazing. I mean, wow! Ya' know?"

Buffy simply smiled and nodded her head.

"I know."


	7. Little Talks

**Look! A chapter! I know, I'm just as shocked as you are. Sorry it took this long. Real life can be intense sometimes.**

**So I've been re-reading the other chapters and I've noticed some mistakes. I'd like to put in a request that if you see a mistake, would you please let me know? I'm really trying yo improve my writing, and finding & fixing mistakes helps me to do that.**

**Alright, enough of my blather. On to the chapter!**

* * *

><p>"Buffster!" Xander said as Buffy walked into the kitchen, "You're back!" Xander engulfed his friend in a hug. "Are you okay? Was Dead-boy his usual awful self?"<p>

"Yes, I'm okay. No, Angel was a-fine, he was fine." Buffy had caught herself before she said 'amazing'; that would have led to questions she didn't want to answer. "We said 'hi', we killed things, we went home."

"You were gone for a while…"

"We killed a lot of things." _'Let it go Xander.'_ The tense moment was broken when Dawn yelled that she was ready. "You better get Dawn to school."

"Yeah." He hugged Buffy again. "I'm glad you're back." Xander left the room and a few seconds later Willow and Buffy heard the door open and shut.

Buffy turned to Willow, "So Willow, what are your plans for today?"

"Tara and I have class, then we're stopping at the Magic Box. Giles wants some extra help tomorrow, being Halloween and all."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Tomorrow's Halloween?"

Willow smiled in amusement. "Did Angel make time go all funny?" Buffy ducked her head, but not before Willow saw the slight blush creep across her cheeks.

"No. I guess I just wasn't paying attention."

"Willow, are you ready to go?" Tara said from the kitchen doorway.

"Yeah. Bye Buffy." Willow chirped.

"Bye guys. Have fun today." It was only moments later Buffy heard the door close, leaving her alone in the house. Alone in the house with nothing to do. Alone in the house with nothing to do and no one who would know if she wasn't there. And then she thought about Angel, and how he would also be all alone at the mansion with nothing to do.

Buffy decided she _absolutely_ had to do something about that.

* * *

><p>"Buffy's different." Tara said as she and Willow walked out of their class. "When we brought her back she was different, but I expected that. But now she's different from a couple of weeks ago."<p>

"Angel can have that effect on her. Every time she sees him it brings up all of this emotion."

"I was expecting sorrow. But she is happy, content. Why would seeing Angel do that?" They sat down at a courtyard table.

"It wouldn't" Willow took a deep breath, "I think something may have happened that Buffy doesn't want to tell us about. Like maybe she and Angel did… something."

"Why wouldn't she tell us?"

"Probably because it wouldn't go over well. Xander and Giles would," Willow paused to think of a kind way to finish her thought, "be upset. Tara, you weren't her when he lost his soul. He did really bad things, _awful_ things. Xander used it as an excuse to turn his dislike to hate, and Giles, I don't think Giles will ever be oaky with him."

"What about you?" Tara asked gently.

"I just want Buffy to be happy. She deserves it." Both sensing that their conversation was over, Willow and Tara finished their lunch in silence.

* * *

><p>Buffy was in a playful mood. One of the walking routes from her house to the mansion went right through Sunnydale's up-scale shopping district, and when she passed the lingerie store, she just couldn't resist. She'd left with her day clothes in the bag and her coat wrapped tightly around her. Sneaking into the mansion, she hoped to catch Angel asleep. Her hopes were realized, and she woke him up in a most interesting manner.<p>

Hours later Angel, with Buffy draped across his torso, lay comfortably in bed. "I thought you were going to stay home today," he murmured against her hair."

"I was home all alone. I saw no point in that," Buffy replied. "I thought my time would be much better spent here."

Angel smiled brilliantly. "I agree" He kissed the top of her head and strengthened his hold on her, savoring the feeling of her skin against his. "How much longer can you stay?"

"Not long. I've yet to talk to Giles, and Willow and Tara were headed to the Magic Box after class, so I'm Box bound, too."

"As much as I hate to say this, you may want to leave while I have the willpower to let you go."

"Oh." Buffy was pouting, drawing on his chest with her finger, "Okay. Promise you'll see me before you leave for L.A?"

"I promise. Now, go." Buffy kissed him, pulled herself out of bed, got dressed, and kissed him again before she left. Unbeknownst to Angel, Buffy had picked up the discarded lingerie. Her last act before leaving the mansion was to tuck it into the pocket of his coat.

* * *

><p>Giles was absorbed in his reading. So absorbed, in fact, that he was completely unaware of the opening of the Magic Box's door and the chiming of the bell.<p>

"Ya' know, if I'd wanted to hurt you you'd be in some serious trouble right now."

"Yes well, you always do seem to show up in the nick of time, so I'd say I don't really have anything to worry about. Hello Buffy."

"Hi Giles. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Buffy sat at the table, hoping that her question would steer Giles away from asking about Angel.

"Nothing on the demonic front. However, you recall the bank robbery were you fought the M'Fashnik?" Buffy nodded her assent and Giles continued. "An anonymous tip was phoned into the police naming Warren Mears as the culprit."

"The 'I-can't-keep-a-human-girl-so-I'm-going-to-build-a-robot-one' guy? Can't say I'm sorry he's going to jail. If I could have reported him for building a robot version of me I would have." Buffy paused for a moment to think. "Wait, he had helpers. Were they caught, too?"

"Warren mysteriously couldn't name his cohorts. I assume magic was involved, but I can find no way to track it without access to Warren." Buffy had begun to read one of the open books on the table while Giles was talking, and now that he was done she gave no indication that she was planning on stopping. "Buffy," Her eyes flicked up to look at him, "I feel I must ask-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Buffy-"

"I. Don't. Want. To talk about it."

"All right then."

* * *

><p>Angel set out just after sunset. He had an important errand to run before he left. He got lucky and ran into the very vampire he was looking for in the second cemetery he searched.<p>

"Hello Spike."

"Peaches." Spike said with barely disguised mockery and disgust. "Taken up stalking again, have we? Don't you think the girl's been through enough? And what the hell gi-." Spike stopped and inhaled deeply, and then his eyes widened in wonder. "Bloody hell. Finally fix that pesky soul-losing problem I see."

"Spike-."

"That's just bloody great." Spike said, trying to storm away to hide the hurt. "I wish you two all the best."

"Spike-." Angel said, frustration coloring his voice.

"It's not like I'm the one who's been here the last two years, helping 'er an' all. Not like I'm the one who cleaned 'er hands after she crawled out of 'er grave. But no, you come in all,…froofy!, sweep 'er off 'er feet and drag 'er away."

Angel was tired of Spike's rant. He spoke quietly so Spike would be forced to listen. "I need you look after her."

Spike looked positively shocked. "Alright Peaches," he said slowly, "but I'm going to need the whole story." So Angel told him, almost apologetically. Spike listened the whole time without speaking, and trying (failing) to hide his emotions.

"So what? You got the girl, the friends, the life, and she's got friends who make it their business 'look after her'. What the hell do you need me for?"

"She's not better." Angel spoke quietly, voicing something neither of the men wanted to face, but both knew they must. "I've given her an anchor; I've given her a way to heal. But she's only just started. It's all too possible that she'll have a set back and try to do something stupid. I can't be here and, as much as I loathe admitting it, you're the only one I can trust to watch her, protect her, like I would."

"Well, that's just," Spike stopped and let his pretend indignation fall. "Sensible. That's just sensible." They stood the in semi-awkward silence. Spike was going over everything in his head. His review brought up a couple of questions.

"Why can't you leave L.A.? Is your little group more important than your wife?"

"If I come here Buffy has no excuse to leave. She doesn't _want_ to be here. The only reason she is here is because she feels obligated to be." Angel's next words were tinged with just a hint of annoyance, "And once she actually tells her friends she'll have a reason to leave."

"That's another thing! If it were me in your situation I'd me shouting it from the bloody rooftops! Why the hell aren't you?"

"You think I don't want to? _I want_ the entire world to know that I married the love of my life. But Buffy started to melt down when she thought about telling them, and I have to pick my battles." Angel looked to the side and muttered, "Not that I'll go out of my way to hide it." He turned back to spike and his voice returned to normal volume, "Now, Spike, the all-important question. Will you help her?"

"Of course I will. How the bloody hell could I not?"

* * *

><p>"Do you have to go?" Buffy asked, looking at him forlornly. She and Angel were sitting on the roof outside of her room, hands interlocked.<p>

"Unfortunately." Angel really didn't want to go. "I wish I could stay longer, but I dropped everything when I went to see you. I have cases, bills, other important things I haven't attended to." He stopped and waited for Buffy to speak. When she didn't he resumed, using the fairly obvious segue. "Speaking of bills, I want you to use my credit card to pay yours all off, _tomorrow._"

"And how exactly will I explain where that money came from?"

"You helped with a case, you got paid for it." Angel kissed her temple, then smiled as a thought came to him. With laughter in his voice he said, "You also must have gotten a gift from a friend, because that would be a very large pay check. Cordelia would throw a fit if she found out."

Buffy laughed and cupped his cheek with her hand. She kissed him softly, murmuring "I love you" against his lips.

Angel looked at her, his gaze filled with love and tender passion. "I love you, too."

"You'll call me when you get back, right?"

"Yes, dear."

"And you'll answer your phone when I call you."

"Yes, dear."

"And you understand that if you don't answer I'll get really worried and freak out, even though I know you barely know how to use your phone."

"How about you give me a couple of un-answers before freak out? I don't always remember to turn it on, and I'd hate for you to worry just because I'm modern technology impaired."

Buffy wasn't really okay with him going. She knew he could take care of himself, and if he stayed they'd be found out, but she had this feeling.

With one last lingering kiss, Angel left, and Buffy went to bed. Angel had gotten her a cell phone in Vegas and she tucked it under her pillow so she would know when he called. Now all she had to do was wait.

* * *

><p>Angel was mentally exhausted. He had been thinking non-stop since leaving Sunnydale. He'd been thinking so much he had nearly lost the ability to think. Luckily, he remembered to call Buffy. She answered before the first ring had finished.<p>

"Hello?" Angel could clearly hear the worry in her voice. "Angel?"

"I'm at the hotel. I'm safe. But I'm also very tired and would like to go to sleep. Are you satisfied that I'm alright?"

"I guess. I just have this bad feeling. It's probably nothing, just nerves."

"Yeah, that's it. Nerves." He didn't tell her he could practically smell something coming.

"Angel?" She asked softly.

"Yeah Buffy?"

"I miss you." In the lingering silence that followed Buffy could almost feel Angel caress her.

"I know, Buffy. I know."


	8. Baby Seat

**Hi guys! I know it's been a really long time, but here's another chapter. **

**So, some of you aren't going to like this chapter. Sorry. But if you bear with me, I promise it'll get better. I know exactly where this story is going and I'm pretty sure you'll like it a whole lot better in another couple of chapters.**

**On a different note: ff net has decided to remove a lot of stories for reasons we don't all agree with. I support the petitions to stop this. However, just in case, I beg of everyone, please backup your fics somewhere else. Eventually there will be somewhere else, like Archive of Our Own (which is invite only right now, though I think you can request and invite), where there are no restrictions and all fics are welcome. Please, everyone backup your fics until they can be put in a place like that.**

**Now, on to the chapter:**

* * *

><p>Buffy didn't want to be here. She wasn't enjoying herself. She <em>wanted<em> to be in L.A. with Angel. She _wanted_ to be with her _husband_.

She was happy for Xander and Anya, she really was, but she felt so alone. Dawn had left for Janice's house, Giles was talking to a quiet Xander and a hyper Anya, and Willow and Tara were absorbed in their own conversation, which from where Buffy was appeared to be an argument. So Buffy was sitting on the couch by herself, wishing she was in L.A.

_ 'I could go' _shethought_. 'I could make some excuse and go see Angel. Maybe I could wake him up again. Or welcome him home from a hard night's slay. Or possibly surprise him in the shower…'_

Xander noticed that Buffy seemed absorbed in her own little world so, after politely excusing himself from Giles and his excited fiancé, he went to sit next to her. "It's kinda crazy, huh?"

Buffy's head snapped toward him. He had startled her and her eyes were wide. "What?" It was obvious she hadn't heard him.

"It's crazy," he repeated, "I'm getting married."

"Yeah," Buffy replied with a slight smile "crazy."

Xander was quiet for a moment, then laughed a little when another thought occurred to him. "I never thought that I'd be the first one to get married." Xander smiled and clasped her shoulder before he returned to a beckoning Anya. Buffy smiled, too. Her smile, however, held a hint of a secret, something that Willow and Tara (who had paused their fight) both saw.

* * *

><p>"Am I doing something completely wrong?" Buffy's question caught Spike completely out of the blue. "She never used to do anything like this."<p>

"Teenagers rebel, pet. Can you honestly tell me you never pulled anything like this?"

"That was different!" Buffy protested "I had to protect the innocent and save the world! Dawn isn't doing either of those things. She's just… acting out." All of the fight had suddenly gone out of her. Now she just looked tired. "Let's just find her," she sighed.

'_Bloody hell'_ Spike thought, _'Poof was right.'_ "He told me." Spike called after Buffy. She froze and slowly turned to look at him.

"W-who told you what?" Spike thought Buffy looked scared.

"Angel, he told me about the two of you."

"B-but why?" Tears were welling in Buffy's eyes, "We said we wouldn't tell anyone." She sounded small, like a lost child.

"Don't cry, pet," Spike said as he walked to her and reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "He's worried about you and asked me to help you and watch out for you when he's not here. For the record, I'm worried about you, too."

"Oh," she breathed out. Buffy had looked away while Spike was talking, and now she looked back to him, "Thank you." He could tell her sentiment was sincere.

"Of course," he said softly. Spike pulled away from her, squared his shoulders, and spoke much more confidently, "Now, let's go find Niblet, drag her home, and shove some sense into that hormonal teenage skull." Buffy laughed, then took his offered hand as they went to look for Dawn.

* * *

><p>"You sound stressed," was the second thing Buffy quietly spoke into her phone.<p>

"You got that from 'hi'?" Angel didn't sound convinced.

"It's not _what_ you said; it's _how_ you said it."

"How I said it?" again, unconvinced.

"Since I met you, every time we've actually said 'hi' you say it like...like… well, you say it in a way that is not how you just said it. The way you just said it was short and clipped, therefore, you sound stressed. What's going on?"

"Evil."

"Angel," Buffy sounded annoyed. She wanted a real answer.

Angel sighed. "The man I got out of a hell dimension, do you remember?"

'_Hell dimension?'_ Buffy thought, _'Which one…Um, guy, fire…Cordy.'_ "The guy you had to rescue to save Cordy?"

"That's the one, turns out he's evil. If a man touches him or any of his bodily fluids they turn homicidal on any women near." They were both quiet for a long time. Buffy knew exactly what Angel was thinking.

"Angel…"

"What if you'd been here?" his whisper was full of fear. "I just got you back. I can't lose you again."

"You won't Angel. We're not going to lose each other." The conviction Angel heard in Buffy's statement made him smile.

"I love you Buffy."

"I love you, too. Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

><p>Angel called her the next night, and she told him how odd it felt to burst into musical song.<p>

* * *

><p>He didn't call her the night after that.<p>

* * *

><p>Or the night after that.<p>

* * *

><p>The next night he didn't answer his phone either.<p>

* * *

><p>It kept happening.<p>

* * *

><p>Buffy had been ready multiple times to go to L.A., demand to know what the problem was, and then promptly smack Angel upside the head. But then Willow and Tara had broken up, and Giles had left, and Spike had stopped her from drinking herself silly. He'd dragged her home, put her to bed, and then sat silently while she cried over Giles and expressed her fears about Angel's sudden silence. And then Dawn disappeared again, and it had been Willow's fault, and then Willow had gone off the deep end. With all of the commotion Buffy had just been so exhausted, and there hadn't been any time to seek Angel out. Buffy's worry had grown everyday she couldn't go to him, but then she had felt Angel coming to her, and she was finally able to sleep soundly, even if it was just until he showed up.<p>

* * *

><p>He didn't wake her up. That was the first thought Buffy had after her conscious mind became aware of Angel's presence. She had been lying on her side facing the window, so all she had to do to see him was open her eyes.<p>

But what she saw was not what she had expected to see. Angel was there, but he should have come over to her and knelt by the bed. Instead he was still perched on her window sill, like he wasn't sure he was welcome in the room. And, even more unusually, he wasn't looking at her. He was hunched over, looking at something cradled in his arms.

"I'm so sorry," he spoke so lowly that Buffy had to strain to hear him, "It wasn't supposed to be like this. If it ever happened it was supposed to be with you." He looked up at her then, and his eyes reflected the same emotions that had been in his voice. _'I've never met anyone else who could experience such intense joy and sorrow at the same time.'_ Buffy thought.

"Angel," Buffy said, sitting and pushing herself up so that her back was against her pillow, "What should have happened with me?" He walked over and sat on the edge of her bed, which gave Buffy the opportunity to see what was in his arms.

A baby.

Angel had a baby.

Why did Angel have a baby?

Buffy was confused. "Angel, why do you have a baby?"

He told her. She was shocked. But she was happy.

"I'm so sorry." It had to be the tenth time he had said it.

"Don't be sorry Angel. This is wonderful. _He_ is wonderful. _Your son_ is wonderful."

"You really think so?" Angel looked hopeful and relived, like the weight of the world had been lifted off him. "Do you want to hold him?" Angel asked timidly; he wasn't sure she would. Buffy just held out her arms.

Looking down at the bundle of tiny person in her arms Buffy was overcome with some feeling she couldn't name. Angel saw it happen, but couldn't name the emotion either. Suddenly, Buffy's head shot up and she looked at Angel with panic in her eyes. "He's mine to, too, right?" She sounded frantic, "I get to be his mother?"

"Of course, Buffy. I was hoping you'd want to. There's no one else I'd rather raise him with."

'_Well, of course,'_ Buffy thought, _'you think I'm the most amazing person on the planet. Oh Angel, don't you realize that's you? I mean, I- Oh. Oh no.'_ "Angel, I need to tell you something." He was suddenly very worried. "I, I kissed Spike," She confessed in a near whisper. She then proceeded to babble. "I didn't mean to and I don't think he meant to either but there was the dancing daemon and the swelling music and all of the emotion but Angel I promise it won't ever happen again not with Spike or anyone else I promise Angel I swear but I'd understand if," her voice dropped to a whisper and she looked back down at the baby, "I'd understand if you didn't want me anymore."

"Oh Buffy," he sighed, and then held her face with his hands, "I love you," he kissed her forehead, "I want you," he kissed her lips, "And I forgive you. I don't want you worrying about this. It's behind us. And, honestly, as I came bearing the fruits of my unhealthy relationship with Darla, I have no right to judge." Buffy smiled at him, but didn't say anything. They needed no more words.

* * *

><p>Hours later Buffy and Angel were dozing in bed with the baby tucked between them when a thought occurred to her. "You want him to stay here with me, don't you?"<p>

"He's not safe in L.A. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to him. I know you'll protect him while I get everything else figured out."

"What do we do afterwards?"

"We'll have to figure that out when we get to the afterwards."

A few minutes later, "What do I tell the others?"

"That I brought him, and that he needs protecting. Just don't tell them why."

A few minutes later, "Angel? Are you still awake?"

A sigh, "Yes, Buffy. I'm still awake."

"Oh good. Because I need to know his name."

Angel smiled at her. "I was going to wait and talk to you about it, but they needed to know at the hospital," he bent to kiss the baby's head, "Connor. His name is Connor."

* * *

><p>When Buffy woke the next morning Angel wasn't there, but that wasn't what made her panic. What made her panic was that Connor wasn't there either. She bolted upright and franticly looked around her room, calming when she saw the bassinet next to her bed. She figuring Angel must have placed the boy there before he left. When Buffy moved to look at him she saw a note had been balanced on top and, immediately recognizing Angel's elegant penmanship, she began to read.<p>

_Buffy,_

_I'm sorry if I worried you, but Connor's a newborn and very breakable. I have no doubt that even in your sleep you would have known not to hurt him, but I didn't want to take any chances._

_I brought a few things with me. There's a stroller on the back porch, some diapers and clothes and formula in the bag on the floor. I put a few prepared bottles in the fridge, all you have to do is heat them up. You'll have to get the rest. Use my card. I checked the funds in the account and there's enough that you won't have any problem. I also changed the account and put it in your name. You should be getting a card with your name on it in the mail._

_I'm sorry Buffy, but we need to have limited contact until I get things smoothed over. There are so many people after Connor and I don't want to lead anyone to the two of you. I love you and I WILL call you, but less often than before. I know, I don't like it either._

_ I love you Buffy. We'll make it work, I promise._

_ Love,_

_ Angel_

Buffy read the letter several times. She knew it was true; contact every day would put their son in danger, but it didn't mean she liked it. _'Wait'_ she thought _'that doesn't make sense. We're _married_. They'll come here anyway.'_ She sighed in exasperation. _'That man. You'd think that would be something he'd realize.'_ Buffy decided she'd just have to call and tell him that he'd made a stupid decision on her behalf again, and she did not appreciate it.

* * *

><p>Buffy walked out of her room a few minutes later carefully carrying Connor in her arms. After she had read Angel's letter it had dawned on her that she didn't know how to properly heat a bottle, and she had begun to panic. Maybe Willow knew? Or she could find out?<p>

"Good morning Buf- Why do you have a baby?" Willow was more than shocked. She would never, _ever_ have expected Buffy to suddenly have a _baby_.

"Angel brought him last night. His name is Connor, and he's in danger. Do you know how to heat a bottle?" Buffy looked at Willow with an anxious expression, "I don't and I think he's hungry." It was then that Willow noticed Buffy was very carefully bouncing the baby in her arms.

"Um, no, But I can Google!" Willow offered, "I'm sure I'll be able to find how easily. Lots of new moms need help." She moved closer to look at the boy being cradled by her friend. "He's so cute!" Willow practically squealed, "How long is he staying?"

"I don't know," Buffy replied, "Until it's safe for him to go… back." _'I'll have to tell them'_ she was thinking as she followed Willow downstairs, _'When it's safe Angel will want Connor with him, and I'll have to go, too. After all, I am his mother. Maybe the others won't be so mad about Angel because there's a baby involved. '_

"If I didn't know better I'd say he looks like you."

"What?" Buffy had been absorbed in her own thoughts.

"Connor. He kind of looks like you."

Buffy smiled sadly. "Yeah, he kind of does."

* * *

><p>Dawn immediately loved Connor and informed Buffy that she wanted to hold him as soon as her cast was off. Anya had started cooing over him, saying how adorable he was, complaining that she and Xander were supposed to be the first to have kids, and asking Xander how long after the wedding they would have to wait before they could procreate. Xander almost fainted.<p>

The only big problem had arisen when Xander had pulled out the paperwork to file a birth certificate from the diaper bag. He was not at all pleased that that it had been filled out in Angel's handwriting and that he and Buffy were listed as father and mother.

"Because Xander," Buffy argued "It makes sense. This way I don't have to explain where I got a baby from. He's just _mine._ And it explains why Angle has given me access to one of his accounts. And there's no use arguing anymore because I'm not changing it."

* * *

><p>Angel called that night to see how they were doing, and Buffy was able to make him see the error of his ways.<p>

"All I was doing was trying to protect you both."

"I know that Angel, but sometimes I need to be included in the decision."

"Will it make you feel better if I promise not to do it again?"

"Yes, it will. And if you do do it again I'll—Hey! I can threaten to withhold sex as a viable punishment!"

Angel laughed into the phone. "But you wouldn't, right?"

"I don't think I could deny myself. I have to go Angel. Connor's fussing and I need both hands to change him."

"We're going to be wonderful parents, Buffy. I can tell."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay,so I'm begging for reviews. What got me started on writing this chapter was going back and reading old reviews. So, seriously, more reviews=quicker update. I'm not sure how to make the bribe anymore clear. :)<strong>


	9. Fret

**I'm sorry. This is being really difficult to write. I wanted to wait until I had more to post, but I fell awful about how long it's already been since the last update. I'm working on finishing this, I promise. **

* * *

><p>There are some things in life where one can't appreciate how hard it will be until one attempts to do it. This, Buffy realized, was one of those times. "Get rid of all magic-y things," she muttered to herself, "how hard can that be?" As it turned out, if a house is lived in by two witches, a slayer, and a dimensional-key-turned -human, magic-y things were all over the place. They had systematically gone through every room in the house, and now everything they had found was in a box in the living room.<p>

Buffy herself was in the kitchen making an omelet for Dawn and heating up a bottle for Connor. "Dawn!" she yelled, "Please come down and eat! Xander'll be here soon!" Buffy sighed. Just _once_ she'd like to get Dawn to school on time.

"Check out super-mom." Buffy turned to see Xander in the doorway. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said dryly. Buffy scoped up the omelet and placed it on a paper napkin. Folding the napkin edge over, she turned and offered it to Dawn, who had just walked into the kitchen. She gave it a disgusted look.

"I'm not hungry." Dawn stated matter-of-factly.

"You need to keep up your strength if you want to hold the baby…" Dawn glared for a moment longer and then, huffing dramatically, took the omelet, turned, and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Well, isn't she just a ball of sunshine this morning." Xander remarked.

"She's mad at me," Buffy said while she checked the temperature of the bottle, "She's mad at Willow. I think she's even a little mad at Connor."

"Why would she be mad at him?" Xander asked in confusion.

"Because she thinks if I didn't have him I wouldn't have let it happen."

"Xander!" Dawn called from the foyer, "I'm going to be late!" Recognizing the annoyed tone in Dawn's voice Buffy and Xander walked to the door.

"Have a good day at school," Buffy said as she opened the door. Dawn huffed and stormed out, nearly knocking down the woman standing on the porch.

"Good morning," the woman said, looking at her watch, "A little on the late side isn't she?"

"I don't really see how that's any of your business," Buffy retorted.

"I'm Ms. Kroger, from Social Services," the woman said condescendingly, "So, actually, when dawn gets to school is my business."

"Oh. Well Xander knows a short cut. He's also an excellent driver!" Buffy said, trying to excuse Dawn's lateness. "Please, come in," Buffy stepped back and motioned for Ms. Kroger to enter the house. "I thought our meeting was on Wednesday."

Ms. Kroger stopped looking around the house and turned back to Buffy, "It _is_ Wednesday."

"It is?" Buffy mumbled. "Oh well, um, I'm sorry about the mess," she said, motioning to the boxes in the living room, "things have just been a little frazzled lately." Ms. Kroger gave Buffy a look of disapproval, "what with having a newborn, and all."

"You have a newborn?" Ms. Kroger was obviously surprised.

"Yeah, a boy," Buffy said happily, "Connor. He's a week old."

"Well, I understand that having a new baby can make things difficult," the woman said sympathetically, "May I ask about the father?"

"My husband," Buffy said, showing off her ring, "He lives in L.A., runs his own business. A friend of ours has been staying here to help with the baby."

Mrs. Kroger had been walking around looking at the house. She stopped and looked at her papers. "Are you still unemployed?"

"Well, yes, but my husband come from family money and it's not a problem." Buffy hoped her answer was acceptable.

By that time Mrs. Kroger had made her way back to the door. "Given the circumstances I'm going to recommend another evaluation in two months. That should give you enough time to get everything back on track."

"Thank you so much," Buffy's relief was evident in her voice.

* * *

><p>"Cordelia's a demon."<p>

"That is not the greeting I was expecting," Buffy replied, "And haven't you told me not to say mean things like that about Cordy?"

"It's not mean Buffy," Angel said playfully, "It's true. The visions were killing her so the Powers made her part demon."

"Cordy's a demon. Literally a demon." Buffy broke out in laughter. "I'm sorry but that's just funny."

"Buffy," Angel admonished, "That's rude."

"Sorry," she laughed out. They were both quiet for a moment.

"How's the baby?" Angel asked softly.

"He's amazing. You're working on the threat against him, right?" Buffy asked worriedly, "Everything is making me jumpy, and I want to be able to see you."

"I'm working on it. I promise."

They talked for another hour about everything they could think of. They would have talked for longer, but Connor started crying and Angel had a case he needed to work on. So they said their 'I love you's' and hung up the phone.

* * *

><p><strong>I really do love reviews, though I may not deserve them for how long this update took.<strong>


	10. Back Home

**Sorry how long this took. I just had a lot of difficulty writing it. **

* * *

><p>"It was so gross" Buffy lamented softly while she gently rocked Connor in her arms. "I never, ever want to see ground up demon again."<p>

* * *

><p>"I was so scared, Angel," Buffy whispered into the phone, "And I feel so awful about Dawn. She thinks I don't care about her anymore because of Connor. What do I do?"<p>

"Spend time with her. Let her know she's loved. But don't push it. She needs time."

"I gave her time," Buffy countered, "You know what happened? We all got trapped in our own house."

Angel sighed. "Ask Willow to watch Connor sometime soon and spend the day with Dawn. Just… do sister things."

Buffy laughed. "And what exactly might that be?"

"I'm a centuries old man, Buffy. I have no idea." They talked for a little while longer, only stopping when Buffy's long day finally caught up with her and she started to yawn loudly into the phone.

"Happy birthday, Buffy," he said softly, "Now go to sleep."

"Okay," she mumbled sleepily, "I love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight."

* * *

><p>Buffy was home alone with Connor. The others had gone to see a movie, but Buffy had decided she'd rather spend some alone time with her son. He was sleeping, cradled in her arms, when there was a knock on the door. Gently shifting Connor to one arm, Buffy stood and looked through the window.<p>

Riley. Riley was back, and standing on her porch. She stepped back from the window, thinking. _ 'I could pretend I'm not here'_ she thought. Unfortunately, Connor chose just that moment to start wailing loudly. Sighing, Buffy gently bounced him while she went to the door. "Hush," she whispered to the boy, grabbing the knob and pulling it open. "You're welcome to come in," she said to an obviously shocked Riley, "but I won't be able to talk until I get him settled.

"You have a baby," he said dumbly.

"I do," she replied, "Are you coming in?" He nodded and went inside, closing the door behind him. Buffy left to warm up a bottle for Connor, then joined Riley in the living room where he had perched on the couch.

"So," she said, sitting on the coffee table and situation Connor with his bottle, "You came back."

"Yeah, um, you have a baby," he said again, still slightly shocked.

"His name's Connor," Buffy told him, smiling down at the baby.

"He's beautiful," Riley said, offering her a small smile.

"Thanks," she replied, shifting her focus back to him, "Why are you here? You just took off, didn't write, didn't call… It doesn't make sense that you'd just show up."

He at least had the decency to look abashed. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I know that was pretty scummy of me."

"Got that right," she muttered under her breath, looking down at Connor. They were both quiet after that, until Riley finally spoke.

"I need your help," he said quietly. He explained the situation, and Buffy agreed.

* * *

><p>Riley and Sam were getting ready to leave. They'd called in for their ride and gathered their things, and were just waiting for the call.<p>

"Buffy," Riley said after pulling her into a quiet corner, "I was thinking, and the timeline, it adds up and… Connor's not mine, is he? I wouldn't ask but you haven't mentioned—"

"No, he's not," she replied, gently shaking her head.

Riley looked outright relieved. "Then can I ask who."

"I'm sorry," she said, "but no. If I told you it would compromise his safety; I just can't do that."

He smiled. "I understand."

* * *

><p>Buffy was the first one to leave the wedding. Xander and Anya were happily enjoying dancing and opening their gifts, and told her that it was perfectly alright for her to leave take Connor home. Spike had walked her to her door then, citing 'things to do', turned and walked away. Buffy went inside and put Connor to bed, then crawled into her own.<p>

Her phone rang an hour later.

"You need to get out of the house," Angel said the moment she mumbled a hello, "Get Connor and leave. He's coming."

"Who's coming?" she asked, mind still clouded from sleep.

"The man who wants to hurt Conor." Buffy was fully awake in an instant. "I'm on my way, too, but he had at least a 30 minute head start."

"I'm getting," Buffy told him, hurrying to collect Conor's things, "I love you."

"I love you both," he whispered, "So much."

* * *

><p>She'd decided to walk. She needed to get to Spike's crypt (<em> 'Of all the nights to decide to not stay over...'<em>) and walking was a good twenty minutes faster than driving.

She hadn't counted on Holtz having already arrived.

"Ms. Summers," he said coldly, slowly stepping into the alley that he and his (human) workers had managed to corner her in, "We meet at last."

"Didn't know you were so eager," she quipped. He didn't laugh.

"You have something I want."

She kept quiet, trying to stare him down. Finally, the said quietly, "I won't let you hurt my son."

"I'm not going to hurt him, Ms. Summers," he said, feigning surprise, "I'm going to take him."

"No," she insisted, shaking her head, "I won't let you."

"You have no choice." He stepped to the side and swept his arm out, gesturing behind himself. Buffy gasped. Angel was there, being held by two people while a third held a stake to his chest. It was obvious the moment that the moment he saw Buffy and Connor he intended to change that.

Then they both heard the click.

Holtz had a handgun aimed at Buffy. "I know you're fast, Ms. Summers," he droned, "but, as limited experience as I have with this newer weaponry, I do believe it's faster."

Time froze; Buffy and Angel locked eyes. 'There's nothing we can do.' They were just about to give in when a body dropped from the rooftop, a loud _CRACK_ echoed through the alley, and both Holtz and Spike fell to the ground.

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

It didn't take much effort after that. The action had shocked Holtz's people, and Angel had been able to dispatch them easily.

Spike woke up three days later. They'd taken him back to Buffy's house where they knew he would be safe until he could take care of himself. "I really hope I never have to do that again," he mumbled, hands pressed to his head, "this headache is killing me."

Buffy and Angel were hiding in her room, Connor tucked between them on the bed. "It'll blow over," Angel assured her, "They'll accept it." Not ten minutes earlier the couple had revealed the exact nature of their relationship, which had resulted in the expected yelling.

"I know," she griped, "That doesn't mean that I like that it's happening." Angel smiled and leaned over to kiss her. "We'll be okay," he said confidently.

Buffy returned the kiss eagerly, a happy smile on her face. "I know."

* * *

><p><strong>That's it, folks. Thanks for bearing with me. I really appreciate you all. <strong>

**I may do a sequel at some point, but I've got other fics I like to write first. **

**Again, thanks for all the love and support. **


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